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LAST UPDATE | 20 Sep 2024
AMAZON, ONE OF the world’s largest employers and a key investor in Ireland, has just announced a return-to-office (RTO) mandate requiring staff to return to the office five days a week starting in January 2025.
Similar announcements have been made recently by other big global employers with US-centric workforces, such as Starbucks and Nike.
While the move is significant and highly visible, it also presents an opportunity to interrogate why this is happening. For all the recent breaking news on the supposed demise of remote work now that the pandemic has finished, it is important to engage with experts in the field of distributed work and to examine the data behind why remote and hybrid operating models — when implemented correctly — can have a significantly positive impact on people, profit and the planet alike.
Is it therefore time for companies and all other stakeholders to stop focusing on ‘where-to-work’ and instead focus on ‘how-to-work’?
In a recent conversation between global remote ecosystem thought leaders Nick Bloom (Stanford Professor | LinkedIn Top Voice In Remote Work | Co-Founder wfhresearch.com) and Dan Bladen (Co-Founder & CEO of Kadence) it was noted by Nick that firstly there is not much strong evidence outside of Amazon that this move is good for business performance. It was also noted that this may not be their final take on a flexible work policy and that this is in fact a 3rd or 4th version, so it will be worthwhile to review what has actually been implemented or enforced and then take stock of the impact.
At Grow Remote, we recognise that flexible work policies aren’t suitable for everyone or every company. We also know from our community and data that remote work brings positive social and economic impact to local communities. So, while some employees may be happy to return to the office, others will find this news extremely disruptive to their social, economic and environmental values and needs.
For example, an Amazon Software Engineer shared this immediate reaction to the mandate on LinkedIn:
Research from the University of Galway and the Western Development Commission supports the sentiment behind this public reaction. Their 2023 Remote Working Survey found that 92% of respondents indicated remote/hybrid working would be a key factor in deciding to change employers. The IBEC HR Update 2023 found that 52% of respondents had more difficulty attracting and retaining talent for on-site roles compared to flexible/hybrid ones.
Remote work flexibility clearly also has a positive impact on employee engagement and retention. A recent Gallup study found that exclusively remote and hybrid employees have significantly higher engagement than on-site workers. In contrast, remote-capable employees required to work on-site have experienced the largest drop in engagement since 2020.
There is also financial evidence: a recent Flex Index report revealed that fully flexible public companies outperformed their peers by 16 percentage points in revenue growth from 2020-2022.
The FRS Recruitment Employment Insights Report 2023 also highlights increased productivity in remote workers: more than nine out of 10 believe they are as productive or more productive when working from home. Employers agree, with over 75% saying their employees are as productive or more productive remotely.
Forcing a full RTO (return to office) mandate is clearly a risky move, now that the business case for distributed work and flexible work policies is backed by both data and demand.
Annie Dean, Global Head of Team Anywhere at distributed work champions Atlassian, has consistently emphasised that the debate around remote work should focus on “how-to-work” rather than “where-to-work” and that many CEOs mistakenly see the return-to-office as a solution for productivity issues. She insists that in reality, it’s evolving work practices that are the key to success not only in a distributed work environment (where company employees are based in various locations) but in any successful business.
Closer to home, Irish companies like Otonomee have embraced distributed work and are thriving. Chief People Officer Brendan Ring recently stated, “We believe in giving employees the choice of where they live and work. It’s about giving people autonomy to do their best work.” Otonomee raised €1.5 million in 2023 and recently launched a recruitment drive for over 150 new team members with many of those jobs landing in Ireland.
Amazon’s decision is significant but not indicative of a global trend. There are many companies, such as HubSpot, Globalization Partners, Nearform, GitLab, Workvivo, Revolut, Airbnb and WP-Engine who continue to embrace remote and hybrid work models and thrive.
These companies and many more are hiring remotely in Ireland today and you can access their career pages directly from our public career resources pages. We have +250 more of them listed as well as +10 jobs boards that are dedicated to remote employers to help make remote more visible and accessible.
Transitioning to a flexible work model is not without challenges. Companies like Amazon face really complex issues related to policy, property, culture and management. Remote work is not about simply sending employees home with laptops; it requires intentional restructuring of systems, processes and skills development.
For companies just starting or struggling with remote work, resources are available. Grow Remote has developed targeted training programs like “Leading Remote Teams” and “Transition to Remote,” designed to help organisations navigate these complexities.
Big brand employer returns to office mandates don’t mark the end of remote work. They instead highlight the need for continued systemic changes, support for companies transitioning to remote work and the need to shine a light on those who embrace it and thrive. The future of work includes hybrid, flexible and globally distributed models.
Companies that fail to adapt risk falling behind in talent acquisition, employee engagement, and profitability. It is now time to change the conversation and focus on unlocking the social, economic and environmental benefits that distributed work can bring to people’s lives, local communities and employers.
Graham Harron is Impact & Data Lead at Grow Remote.
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They need a new leader. Someone who wasn’t at the top table when they let the country down.
Saul Goodman…
Aren’t they rotten to the core?
Er!!Excitement don’t know about that now.
Mmm the Fianna Fail party are what it says on the tin the party that failed the Irish people, Fail being the appropriate word.
Willy “memory man” O’Dee there is a man, dont sign anything willy.
“Let the Country down” is a slight understatement.
Never forget how this inept bunch sank the nation into total financial and economic meltdown.
They will never get a vote from me again.
Pretty much as useless in opposition as they were in government. They have been relatively silent in comparison to SF despite having more deputies.
They crashed our country after decades of rule and then they stripped down their policies to “up for whatever”.
Funny that it’s fine gael who widen our wealth poor divide but Fianna Fail created it.
Fianna Fail has always been the “up for whatever” party. A brief look at the sheer amount of policies and political promises they have guaranteed and subsequently reneged on speaks volumes about their trustworthiness.
Fianna Fail, Ireland’s right/centre/left wing political party.
And the country’s electorate voted them into power time and time again.The way some folks go on, you’d swear we lived in a dictatorship. Yes Fianna Fail have a lot to answer for, but so does the wider political and financial establishment, and Irish society as a whole. Fianna Fail did not operate in a vacuum. And I’m not a FF voter, for the record.
‘Just what exactly is going on with Fianna Fáil? ‘
Selective amnesia, delusional denial and incapable of in-house cleaning.
Martin is a shambles, a waste of space.
First step should be axing him.
Him and the old gang need to go before i even consider looking at them again
fresh blood for a fresh start
Better still axe the lot inc. labour and fg. They would sell their mother to get a fat pension, cant stand any of them.
No ones listening to FF .
Us the Irish people are safe from his leadership, one thing thats certain!
His dalliances with Dissidents are going to haunt him further.
For Political Expediency he has allowed himself to be exploited by people whose only plan, is to undermine The Good Friday Agreement and to bring Ireland back to the days of Death Squads and destruction of part of our Island.
Farmers
You mean his questioning of the Spin Feign handling of sex abuse allegations by former members and supporters. Spin Feign is more and more like the old Catholic Church with a Pope who denies a problem and cardinals who support that approach. There will be a flood of abuse allegations which will swamp the party.
They have a very flawed pedigree.
Haughy.
Flynn (father and daughter)
Ray Burke.
Liam Lawlor.
Dogherty. ( the phone tapper)
Bertie. etc.
And a string of incompetents, especially ALL the last government.
Peter, don’t forget Ivor,O Dea etc and more that I can’t recall at the moment
You can discuss “policies” and “effective opposition” all you want but that’s all beside the point.
The reasons why Fianna Fail are still universally maligned is simple. They took over a healthy and thriving economy in 1997 and over the space of 14 years they mismanaged it through a combination of incompetence, stupidity and corruption to the extent that the only options left to us where absolutely appalling ones. They let a massive property bubble develop on their watch, that turned a generation of people into the meal tickets for themselves, their banker and developer buddies and the senior civil servants. The property bubble was great for FF because it allowed them to award massive increases and perks to themselves and the public service, it allowed them to slash taxes and give giveaway budgets. It allowed their banker and developer buddies get rich. Pity it was all built on the quicksand of completely unsustainable tax income from the construction industry.
No other generation in the history of this state has ever been shafted by their own government to the same extent as to what FF did. The result? The near total collapse of the banking industry and the economy, the Troika, NAMA, national debt going through the roof, huge unemployment, huge emigration, depletion of services, social problems, young families saddled with massive debt just to put a roof over their heads. The list goes on and on. The politicians responsible for the mess swanned off into the sunset on massive pensions, immune from the affects of their own disastrous mismanagement.
The real questions that should be asked in this article are – why are these people still at liberty, because in a properly functioning society with proper laws and protections in place they would be behind bars? Why are a lot of their ex-ministers and TDs still in receipt of multiple state pensions that in many cases are obscenely generous? Why are 18% of the electorate still stupid/morally deficient enough to vote for them?
I can’t understand how people still vote for them. I really question the intelligence of those people who voted for them in the last General Election. I will never vote for them after the damage that they have caused to this country
Goodbye Fianna Fail.
Ff are finished,and any TD over 10 years in Leinster house should not receive a vote as they have got to know the system of corruption and evasion too well.
I never voted FF in the past ..and will only consider voting for them in the future if they get rid of martin..o dea .
.and the rest who drove this country off a cliff..
I have no doubt Martins heart is in the right place & he is a pretty sound individual but unfortunately like all the leaders of the main parties, he is CRAP. None of them have any strategic plan for anything & they just sail in the wind, make it up as they go & bulls##t the joe public.
Bunch of school teachers who have zero leadership qualities & are completely out of touch with reality.
FF are an irrelevancy now, the very thing that made them so popular in the past, being a ‘catch all’ party is what’s causing them problems now. They have no clear ideology, they are being outflanked on the Republican left by a populist SF and on the right they have opposition from FG and now Renua Ireland. Think what you may of FG but they have a clearer sense of where they lie on ideological spectrum and this assurance gives them a sense of purpose which is what’s missing in FF. Also Martin was a Minister in every FF cabinet since 1997 and is equally responsible for the economic mess as Ahern & Cowen if we assume that collective cabinet responsibility applies, he lacks credibility.
It’s nice to be able to think about Fianna Fáil without having to worry that they might be in power any time soon. Makes them nice and unthreatening, like your wife having a gay male friend.
I think Sinn Fein and Fianna Fáil and maybe some independents will make up the next government.
Labour count for nothing, Enda Kenny is despised by ordinary people, unless you’re member of FG that is, Mehole Martin, is just that, and FF are not to be trusted. SF, with Gerry Adams and MaryLou look like strong leadership material, people seem willing to give an tried party a go, as the SF party do a lot of work for ordinary people.
Kenny is fortunate that Martin shares the same level of negative charisma.
I’m sure Gerry Adams would be by far the best of the three to have a few pints with and talk about ‘back in the day’.
I’m sure Gerry has a few stories alright.
Johngahan – You are not taking your meds – remember what the Doctor told you about your Gerryphobia virus ?
You must take two tabs every three hours ……a Chara !!!!!
Currenty, a party full of chancer politicians, taking up space, with as much talent as most hopefuls on the xfactor, who probably don’t know their gdp from bcg. Offering no alternative, particularly cowen and kelleher, just argueing with the equally useless fg and labour. Desperately trying like kids, to hold on to their main opposition seats in the dail from sinn fein. Give em up lads! They’re not yours any more!Martin looks lost, deluded, doesn’t get it that he was involved in the last gov. Dippidy dooley the enforcer hahaha.
“hanged utterly”. Excellent typo there. Within their bubble I don’t think this bunch realised of utterly sick of them we were.
And every day bought a new tale of corruption, arrogance or greed.
It wasn’t just the failure of the economy.
FF decided to choose a TD who was decimated in 2011 for the upcoming bi-election in Carlow-Kilkenny. They are unwilling to break with the past and as a result are almost irrelevant in Irish politics
FF leader seems to hav selective amnesia as someone said previous,savaging the current goverment for things they themselves done years ago while in power.they’ll never get a vote from me while the old FF heads are still involved.
SF talk the talk but there policies just arent feesable & if they got into power id say we’d see some serious turn around on elwction promises.
one of the other 100 problems with ff is they spend more time attacking other opposition parties whilst half heartedly challenging the government, one would think ff/fg has a plan for the next government coalition, but if we vote how goldman sachs has instructed that may well be true after all goldman sachs has no hidden agenda ff/fg would never let these bondholders of the hook.
The problem for Fianna Fail is they are too much like Fine Gael now. The Party would do better if it aligned itself more with the Left and Sinn Fein. If they look at the polls thats the position the people want Fianna Fail to take.
Fine Gael are on about 25% + 9% for Labour thats equal to about 34% total. So even if you round those figures up to say 40% it still means that about 60% of the people are looking for a strong Left leaning alliance to lead us.
Hopefully it’s the sign that people are starting to chose between obviously left and right wing political parties like most normal democracies rather than choosing a party because your grandad fought on a particular side in a forgotten war.
How stupid are Fianna Fáil? They are where they are because of their support for Irish Water. Do they think the 100,000 people who are going to demonstrate in Dublin on Saturday against the hated water tax are joking?
He knows that there are just swing politics here, if it is not F.G. then it will be F.F. that will get into government, he thinks he can’t loose?
The country needs new leaders. Sinn Fein are deliberately trying to throw the next election as its a bad time to bring in a new failed mandate. Their left wing puppy followers are being led astray. Quite cute. FF are no better. Once left wing and working class, they have morphed into something of an identity crises. Enda Kenny is the best this little nation has. Sad. But it’s a fact.
What does Fianna Fáil stand for? Are they right wing or are they left wing? Are they in favour of personal freedoms or in favour of nanny statism?
People aren’t going to give them their number one if they don’t know what they stand for. They might get some transfers.
I know they’re in favour of using tax money to promote the Irish language but there has to be more to their party than that. There has to be.
John McGuinness, Averil Power and Timmy Dooley are the people the party should be looking to to rebuild the party.
Padraig the same McGuinness will cost us a packet with the Angela Kerins debacle.
Does anyone really care!
have your say